Method for producing polypropylene films

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a method for producing a biaxially oriented polypropylene film including at least one layer, which is constructed from propylene polymer B and a propylene polymer that has been recycled once. The film is used in capacitors.

The present invention relates to a method for producing biaxiallyoriented polypropylene films including at least one layer, and usethereof.

Biaxially oriented polypropylene films (BOPP films) are used in a widerange of packaging applications because of their good performancecharacteristics. These good performance characteristics are for examplehigh mechanical strengths, good dimensional stability and visualbrilliance. Besides their use as packaging films, considerablequantities of BOPP films are also used in technical applications. Theseinclude metallisation and transfer metallisation, lamination and use anelectrical insulator in capacitor manufacturing.

Various methods for producing biaxially oriented polypropylene films areknown from the prior art. In the “tenter process”, the BOPP film isproduced by extruding, shaping in a slot die and stretching in thelongitudinal and transverse directions.

In detail, this method is carried out in such manner that the propylenepolymers are compacted, heated and melted in an extruder, then themolten masses corresponding to the respective plies of the film areextruded through a flat sheet die, and the film obtained thereby isdrawn on one or more rollers to stabilise it, the film is oriented andthen thermofixed. Finally, the machine roll produced in this way isprocessed to create the cut roll ready for use by the customer.

In this process for producing biaxially oriented films, a large amountof film trimmings is created during the process itself, for example dueto the edge strip. Edge strips are the borders of the film that aregripped by the clips of the lateral stretching frame but not stretchedas well during transverse stretching. The unstretched border issignificantly thicker than the film after orientation and must thereforebe cut off. Depending on the film type and machine width, the amount ofmaterial lost with the edge strip may be as much as 25% by weight. Forreasons of economy, the edge strip must be regranulated and returned tothe original feedstock of raw material together with the rest of thefilm trimmings that is created when the cut roll is prepared, in theevent of tearing or at the infeed to or outfeed from the machine.

In some application areas requiring particularly high quality standardsof the film, it is not possible to reuse film trimming with the originalraw material feedstock in this way again. This is true for example inthe production of electroinsulating films that are used formanufacturing capacitors. For these applications, particular filmproperties such as low dielectric loss factor, high electrical passresistance, high DC and AC proof voltages, and the smallest possiblenumber of flaws are required. One of the ways to obtain these propertiesis to use exceptionally pure polypropylene with low ash and chlorinecontent. In addition, the polymers must not contain any ionogeniccomponents. Of course, raw materials that meet these purity requirementsare significantly more expensive than conventional raw materials forpackaging.

It has been found that the high quality requirements for suchelectroinsulating films are no longer met if film trimmings is added tothe ultra-pure raw material. The continuous use of trimmed film in theproduction inevitably results in a certain content in the film ofmaterial that has been recycled multiple times, since film material thatalready contains some recycled material is itself constantly returned tothe recycling circuit. Material that has already been recycled severaltimes is also decomposed and contaminated repeatedly in each new cycle,so the quality of the repeatedly recycled material becomes steadilypoorer. The more cycles the respective fraction of recycled materialundergoes, the lower its proportion in the finished film becomes, butthe quality of this proportion is steadily degraded at the same rate.

The result of this in practice is that the film trimmings generated whenmanufacturing electroinsulating films becomes waste by definition, andcan only be used in applications with less stringent requirements, suchas production of packaging materials or injection moulding. As a result,the financial losses associated with film trimmings in the production ofelectrofilms are particularly significant.

Even in the field of packaging films that are produced from relativelyless expensive raw materials, the quality of the film can be impaired bymaterial that has been recycled multiple times, particularly if thefraction thereof becomes too high. In this case, therefore theproportion of material that has been recycled multiple times in the filmmust be monitored, and reduced if necessary. Thus, in this area too,there is a need for a method for improving economy and quality in thefilm manufacturing processes.

European patent EP 0 740 993 describes a method for producing biaxiallyoriented polypropylene films in which the border area is createdseparately from a lower-quality raw material. The highly pure propylenepolymer of the film is remelted in a separate extruder and extrudedtogether with this second, lower-quality propylene polymer from a secondextruder. The molten mass of the second propylene polymer is directedalong both sides of the first propylene polymer mass in such manner thatthe two molten masses are extruded together and simultaneously throughthe flat sheet die, and the lower-quality propylene polymer forms theborder area of the film during the manufacturing process. After the filmhas been stretched longitudinally and laterally, this border area may beseparated and used again.

In practice, it is been found that a number of disadvantages areassociated with this method. The two different polymers mingle with oneanother at the boundary between the film border and the film in suchmanner that is it difficult to separate the lower-quality polymer.Either the film itself is contaminated by the lower quality polymer inthe border area, so that the quality is not consistent over the entirewidth of the film, or an excessively wide border must be cut off,thereby reducing the yield of the method. It has also be found thatafter several cycles the polymer in the border area is degraded to suchan extent that is must be replace with fresh material. This also rendersthe method less financially advantageous.

Accordingly, there is still a need for suggesting a method for producingfilms from high-quality, for example particularly pure, polypropylene,that avoids the disadvantages described in the preceding. The method isintended particularly to reduce the financial losses associated withfilm trimmings that cannot be reused.

This object is solved with a method for producing a biaxially orientedpolypropylene film, consisting of at least one layer, and in which apolypropylene polymer B is heated and melted in a first extruder, andthe molten mass of the propylene polymer B is extruded through a flatsheet die, and the molten mass exiting the flat sheet die is drawn onone or more rollers to and solidified to form the precursor film, andthis precursor film is stretched longitudinally and laterally,characterized in that

-   A. a propylene polymer or a propylene polymer mixture A with no    recycled content A is heated and melted in a second extruder, and-   B. the molten mass of the propylene polymer or propylene polymer    mixture A is directed along both sides of molten propylene polymer    mass B in such manner that all of the molten masses are extruded    through the flat sheet die together and at the same time, and the    propylene polymer or propylene polymer mixture A with no recycled    content forms the border area of the film during the manufacturing    process, and-   C. the border areas consisting of the propylene polymer or propylene    polymer mixture A are cut away after the film has been stretched    longitudinally and laterally, and-   D. this material cut off from the border area is mixed with the    polypropylene polymer B and this mixture is melted and extruded to    form the precursor film in the first extruder.

The method according to the invention ensures that all of the filmtrimming from the border area is reusable, but the film contains nomaterial that has passed through the treatment process more than once.This, the final product consists entirely of virgin material andmaterial that has undergone not more than one recycling step.

For the purposes of the present invention, virgin material or virginpolymer is understood to mean a polymer or polymer mixture that has notpreviously been used in a film manufacturing process and has notundergone a melting process with subsequent solidification of the moltenmass for film production. With regard to a polymer mixture, the sameapplies for all components of the mixture. In this sense, bothpolypropylene polymer B and polypropylene polymer A are virgin polymers.Both polymer A and polymer B may also be mixtures of various virginpropylene polymers.

For the purposes of the present invention, recycled material is apolymer or polymer mixture that has already been used as defined in afilm manufacturing process, and has been melted and resolidified duringfilm production and possibly in a subsequent treatment process as well.

For the purposes of the present invention, material that has beenrecycled multiple times is recycled material that has been melted andsolidified more than twice in total during film production andtreatment.

For the purposes of the present invention, material that has beenrecycled once is recycled material that has been melted and solidifiedeither only once, during film production, or twice the second time in asubsequent treatment step. When material that has been recycled once isused to manufacture a film, this portion of the recycled material ismelted and solidified again, of course.

In this way, a film that is manufactured according to the method of theinvention consists primarily of virgin polymer B, which has been meltedand resolidified only once, during the actual film production process.Material that has been recycled once also contains fractions from apolymer or polymer mixture A that has been melted and solidified two orthree times, that is to say a first time when it passed through the filmmanufacturing process as the border strip of the film, and a second timeby mixing with polymer B to produce the film product, and possibly alsoa third time during processing of the border strip trimming, to turn itinto granulate for example. Accordingly, polymers A and B differ in thatpolymer B is melted and solidified in the film once, and polymer A ismelted in the film twice or three times. In general, the film containsfrom 0.5 to 60% by weight of material that has been recycled once frompolymer A, preferably 1 to 50% by weight, particularly 5 to 40% byweight, and correspondingly 40 to 99.95% by weight and preferably 50 to99% by weight of polymer B, relative to the total weight of the film ineach case. In all cases, it is possible that either or both of polymer Band the border strip polymer A also consist of a mixture of variouspolymers. According to the invention, all fractions of such a polymermixture B are virgin material and all fractions of a polymer mixture A,which are used to manufacture the film, have been recycled no more thanonce.

In all cases, in the method according to the invention differentpolymers may used as propylene polymer B for the film and as propylenepolymer A for the border area, similarly to the method described in EP 0740 993. However, unlike the method described in EP 0 740 993, polymer Afor the border area is to be selected such that it generally satisfiesthe requirements for film manufacture as well, since it is to be used inthe film itself after it has been used as border material. Consequently,in the method according to the invention it is generally preferred ifthe same polymers, or at least polymers of comparable quality, are usedin the border area and in the film. According to the invention, thetrimmed material from the border area is not used for border extrusionagain, instead it is mixed with the film polymer B and used together tothis to produce the film, to ensure that the film itself only containsvirgin raw material and material that has been recycled only once.

Surprisingly, the quality of the film, and particularly its electricalproperties, are not impaired by the addition of the material that hasbeen recycled once. According to the prior art, no recycled material isused in electroinsulating films because the electrical properties areimpaired by the material that has been recycled multiple times. Inpackaging films, excessively high quantities of material that has beenrecycled multiple times can degrade the mechanical properties ortransparency. It is assumed that these impairments are caused by anexcessively high proportion of material that has been recycled multipletimes, although their proportion becomes progressively smaller as thenumber of recycling steps increases. Surprisingly, when material thathas been recycled only once is added, only minor impairments are causedin the film properties, or none at. The slight impairments of filmproperties caused by material that has been recycled only once are ofsuch an order that they may be compensated by reducing the proportion ofmaterial that has been recycled once.

In the following, suitable polymers both for polymer A of the borderarea and for polymer B of the film will be described. Polymers A and Bmay, but do not necessarily have to have identical properties. They arepreferably the same polymers. Thus the designation as polymer A andpolymer B is not indicative of a different composition or differentstructure of the polymers, but rather of the different use of thepolymers designated as such, on the one hand in the border area (polymerA) and on the other in the films (polymer B).

In general, polymers A/B have a residual ash content less than or equalto 70 ppm, preferably ≦50 ppm, particularly ≦40 ppm, and a chlorinecontent of ≦50 ppm, preferably ≦20 ppm.

In general, polymers A/B contain 90 to 100% by weight, preferably 95 to100% by weight, particularly 98 to 100% by weight propylene unitsrelative to the weight of the polymer. In general, polymers A/B have amelting point of 150° C. or higher, preferably 155 to 170° C., and amelt flow index of 0.5 g/10 min to 10 g/10 min, preferably 0.8 g/10 minto 5 g/10 min, measured at 230° C., and a force of 21.6 N (DIN 53 735).

Particularly suitable polymers NB have an average molecular weight Mw inthe range from 150,000 to 400,000, preferably from 180,000 to 350,000.The molecular weight distribution may vary within wide limits, Mw/Mn isgenerally from 2 to 15, preferably from 2 to 6, particularly from 3 to6.

Of the polymers A/B described above, isotactic propylene homopolymerwith an n-heptane soluble fraction of 1 to 15% by weight, preferably 1to 10% by weight, and a chain isotaxy index of the n-heptane insolublefraction of ≧85%, preferably ≧90%, are particularly preferable.Copolymers of ethylene and propylene having an ethylene content of 10%by weight or less, copolymers of propylene with C4-C6 olefins having anolefin content of 10% by weight or less, terpolymers of propylene,ethylene and butylene having an ethylene content of 10% by weight orless and a butylene content of 15% by weight or less are also suitable.The weight percentages cited are relative to the respective propylenepolymer.

In order to improve certain properties of the polypropylene filmaccording to the invention, stabilisers and/or neutralisers, andpossibly nucleating agents as well are generally added to polymers A/B.With regard to the desired electrical properties of the film, in apreferred embodiment no antistatic agents and no lubricants should beadded, because additives have a negative effect on the electricalproperties of the film. All quantities indicated in percent by weight (%by weight) in the following description are relative to the layer orlayers to which the additive may be added.

The usual compounds with stabilising effects for polymers ofpolyethylene, propylene and other alpha-olefins may be used asstabiliser. The quantity in which these are added is between 0.05 and 2%by weight. Phenolic stabilisers, alkaline/alkaline earth stearatesand/or alkaline/alkaline earth carbonates are particularly suitable.Phenolic stabilisers are preferred in a quantity from 0.1 to 0.6% byweight, particularly 0.15 to 0.3% by weight, and having a molar mass ofmore than 500 g/mol. Pentaerytrhritoltetrakis-3-(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl) propionate or1,3,5-trimethyl-2,4,6-tris(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxybenzyl)benzene areparticularly advantageous.

Neutralisation agents are preferably calcium stearate and/or calciumcarbonate having an average particle size not exceeding 0.7 μm, anabsolute particle size smaller than 10 μm and a specific surface area ofat least 40 m2/g. In general, the neutralisation agent is added in aquantity of 0.02 to 0.5% by weight.

Nucleation means may be organic substances, preferably dibenzylidenesorbitol or chemically modified derivatives of dibenzylidene sorbitol orsodium-bis-(4-tert.-butylphenyl)phosphate. Other nucleation agents thatmay be used are for example metal salts of benzoic acid, preferablysodium benzoate, and quinacridone and quinacridone derivatives.Inorganic nucleation agents such as talcum, silicon dioxide or bentoniteare also suitable. In this case, it is most important that thenucleation agent is extremely finely distributed, that is to say theaverage particle size is not more than 1 μm, preferably not more than0.7 μm.

If polymers A and B are not identical, the melting points of the twopolymers should be approximately the same, that is to say they shouldadvantageously not differ by more than 15° C., preferably not more than10° C., or they should be approximately the same. Moreover, if the meltflow indices (MFI) of the two raw materials are different, they mustgenerally be matched with one another so that the edge strips and thefilm are firmly bonded with one another. The MFI of propylene polymer Ashould preferably have a value not more than three times greater thanthe MFI of propylene polymer B. If necessary, the melt flow indices ofthe two polymers may be equal, or the MFI of propylene polymer A may beslightly smaller (10%) than that of propylene polymer B.

It is possible that the thickness of the film edge may be deliberatelyvaried or adjusted even with a constant die setting by means of the MFIof polymer A, without changing the thickness of the film itself. Thelarger the MFI of polymer A relative to the MFI of polymer B, thethicker the border area becomes and vice versa. In this way, thethickness of the edge strip may be optimised independently of the filmthat is to be manufactured. This is particularly advantageous whenproducing very thing films. According to conventional methods, the diemust be opened very wide in the border area to enable production of asufficiently thick edge strip. In this event, the there is a danger thatthe die lips will be bent irreparably. According to the method of theinvention, such extreme die settings are no longer necessary formanufacturing very thin films.

According to the method of the invention, single-layer or multi-layerfilms may be produced. Multi-layer polypropylene films include the filmdescribed in the preceding, or the layer of these single-layerembodiments as the base layer, and at least one covering layer, possibleone on either side, containing in general 75 to 100% by weight,preferably 90 to 99.5% by weight relative to the weight of the coveringlayer in each case. polymers of olefins having 2 to 10 carbon atoms andoptionally also usual additives, each in effective quantities, providedthey do not negatively affect the electrical or other desiredproperties.

Suitable olefin polymers for the cover layer(s) are for examplehomopolymers, co- or terpolymers created from ethylene, propylene orbutylene units, wherein terpolymers contain three different monomers.The composition of the co- or terpolymers from the respective monomersmay vary within broad limits. In general, the co- and/or terpolymerscontain more than 50% by weight propylene units, that is to say they arepropylene co- and/or propylene terpolymers with ethylene and/or butyleneunits as comonomers. Copolymers generally include at least 60-99% byweight, preferably 65 to 97% by weight propylene and not more than 1-40%by weight, preferably 3 to 35% by weight ethylene or butylene ascomonomers. Terpolymers generally include 65 to 96% by weight,preferably 72 to 93% by weight propylene, and 3 to 34% by weight,preferably 5 to 26% by weight ethylene and 1 to 10% by weight,preferably 2 to 8% by weight butylene. The melt index of the co- and/orterpolymers is generally from 0.1 to 20 g/10 min (190° C., 21.6N),preferably from 0.1 to 15 g/10 min. The melting point may be in a rangefrom 70 to 150° C., preferably from 100 to 140° C.

The co- and terpolymers described in the preceding may be mixed witheach other. In this case, the proportions of co- and terpolymers may bevaried at will.

In a preferred embodiment, propylene homopolymer is used in the coveringlayer(s) instead of the name co- and/or terpolymers. Suitable propylenehomopolymers are those that were described individually as virginpropylene homopolymers B of the film in the preceding.

For the use as electroinsulating films, embodiments are particularlypreferred that include cover layers on one or both sides, which in turnare constructed from virgin propylene polymer, that is to say have acontent of this virgin propylene polymer in an amount from 90-100% byweight, preferably 98-<100% by weight. Suitable virgin propylenepolymers have been described in the preceding as polymers A/B.

It was found that these embodiments offer additional advantages whenthey are used in capacitors. This is attributed to the fact that thebase layer, which contains material that has been recycled once as wellas polymer B, is covered by at least one covering layer without anrecycled material, so that any possible negative effects of the recycledmaterial component are reduced. Accordingly, it is particularlypreferred to cover the base layer containing recycled material on bothsides with cover layers that do not contain any recycled material.

Multiple-layer embodiments of films that are manufactured according tothe method of the invention include a base layer and at least the coverlayer described in the preceding. The base layer may also have coverlayers on both sides and possibly additional intermediate layers. Forthe purposes of the present invention, the base layer is the layer thatconstitutes from more than 50 to 100%, preferably 70 to 95% of the totalfilm thickness. The cover layer is the layer that forms the outer layerof the film.

The total thickness of the films that may be produced according to themethod of the invention may be varied within wide limits, and is adaptedto its intended use. The preferred embodiments of the film have totalthicknesses from 2 to 100 μm, and 2 to 50 μm, particularly 2 to 20 μmare preferred. The thickness of any intermediate layer(s) present isfrom 0.5 to 15 μm. The thickness of the cover layer(s) is preferably inthe range from 0.1 to 10 μm, particularly 0.2 to 5 μm, and cover layersthat are applied on either side may have the same or differentthicknesses and compositions. The thickness of the base layer isdetermined by the difference between the total thickness of the film andthe thickness of the applied cover and intermediate layer(s), and maythus vary in similar manner to the total thickness.

In the course of the method according to the invention, propylenepolymers B and material recycled once from polymer A are mixed,compacted, heated and melted (molten mass 1) in a first, main extruder(EXTR. 1). Propylene polymer A (only virgin material) is also compacted,heated and melted (molten mass 2) in a second extruder (EXTR. 2). Nomaterial that has already been used in the manufacture of a film isadded to propylene polymer A (called “virgin” for the purposes of theinvention). Molten mass 2 of the virgin propylene polymer A is directedtowards the two sides of molten mass 1 consisting of polymer B andmaterial that has been recycled once, such that the two molten masses 1and 2 are extruded together and simultaneously through the flat sheetdie, and propylene polymer A forms the border area of the film duringthe manufacturing process. Guidance of polymer molten mass 2 towards theedge of molten mass 1 may be effected, as shown in FIG. 3, using acoextrusion adapter that has been rotated through 90°. Of course, whenthere is no recycled material present at the start of the manufacturingprocess, molten mass 1 will consist only of polymer B (with recycledmaterial), until enough recycled material from polymer A has beenproduced to feed it back into the process.

FIGS. 3 and 3A represent the use of coextrusion adapter 6 in anarrangement according to the invention. The process of compacting,heating and melting the polymers and feeding is similar for both moltenmass flows 1 and 2. Molten mass flows 1 and 2 are arranged beside oneanother as shown (16). The adjacent molten masses are extruded in slotdie 8 to create film (10), whose border areas (12) are produced frompolymer A (from the molten mass flow from extruder 2). The actual film(14) consists of polymer B (from the molten mass flow from extruder 1).

A mono nozzle with which molten mass A is injected laterally is alsosuitable for the method according to the invention. The basicconstruction of such a mono nozzle is shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B. Slot die8 has one aperture 20 each to the left and right of main channel 18.Molten mass B is forced through main channel 18 in the central part ofthe die. Molten mass A flows through apertures 20 into the two borderareas of the die. In this way, molten masses 1 and 2 are extruded sideby side to form a film whose border areas consist of polymer A.

The film extruded in this way is drawn on one or more rollers tosolidify it. It has also proven particularly advantageous if thedraw-off roller(s) by which the extruded film is solidified aremaintained at a temperature of at least 70° C., preferably 80 to 120° C.

The prefilm obtained in this way is stretched lengthwise andtransversely to the extrusion direction, causing the molecule chains tobe oriented biaxially. This biaxial orientation is carried outconsecutively, and stretching preferably performed lengthwise first (inthe direction of the machine) and then transversely (perpendicularly tothe direction of the machine). In the lengthwise direction, the materialis preferably stretched by a factor of 4:1 to 9:1, particularly 5:1 to8.5:1, and transversely preferably by a factor of 6:1 to 11:1.Lengthwise stretching will ideally be carried out with the aid of tworollers running at different speeds in keeping with the intendedstretching ratio, and transverse stretching with the aid of acorresponding clip frame. The clips clasp the border area of the film sothat essentially only the mixture of polymer B and material that hasbeen recycled once from polymer A is stretched into a thin film (14) andthe borders (12) of polymer A remain unstretched and thick. This isshown diagrammatically in FIG. 1.

The temperatures at which lengthwise and transverse stretching arecarried out may vary within a wide range and are determined by therespective composition of the layers and the desired properties of thefilm. In general, lengthwise stretching is carried out at 80 to 160° C.,preferably 100 to 160° C., and transverse stretching at 120 to 170° C.,preferably 130 to 160° C.

After biaxial stretching, the film is immediately thermofixed(annealed), wherein the film is maintained at a temperature of 100 to160° C., preferably 110 to 130° C., for a period of 0.1 to 10 seconds.

As indicated previously, after biaxial stretching one or both surfacesof the film is/are subjected to one of the known corona, flame or plasmatreatment processes. The treatment intensities are within the normalparameters, which are 35 to 50 mN/m, preferably 36 to 45 mN/m.

For the alternative corona treatment, the film is drawn between twoelectrodes that serve as guide elements, wherein the voltage between theelectrodes, usually AC voltage is so high (about 10,000 V and 10,000Hz), that corona discharges can take place. The corona discharge causesthe air above the film surface to ionise and react with the molecules inthe film surface, so that polar pockets are created in the essentiallyapolar polymer matrix.

After the optional surface treatment or thermofixing, the film istrimmed with standard cutting devices, and the film itself is rolled upon a known winding device. In general, the width of the two borders tobe trimmed is up to 300 mm, preferably 100 to 200 mm, and consists of atleast 90% by weight, preferably 95-100% by weight, and especially99-100% by weight of propylene polymer A. When the edge strip isseparated, the width of the trimmed border should advantageously bechosen such that as far as possible all of the material separated asedge strip consists in a proportion of almost 100% by weight, that is tosay solely of virgin polymer A. The advantage of the method according tothe invention also consists in that it is not necessary to cut away theedge strip so deeply that the film contains no edge strip polymer A atall, since polymer A is now of sufficiently high film quality and doesnot form any areas of lower quality. In contrast, in the methodaccording to EP 0 740 993 it is imperative to trim the edge strip awayat such a point that ensures all content of polymer A is removed and thefilm contains no polymer A whatsoever. This then results in edge striptrimming that consists of a mixture of polymer A and small quantities ofpolymer B. At all events, the method according to EP 0 740 993 requirestrimming a relatively wide edge strip, whereas in the method accordingto the present invention the width of the edge strip to be trimmed maybe kept narrow. Of course this applies particularly if identical rawmaterials are used as both polymer A and B, as is the case in apreferred embodiment.

In standard production methods, the film border has a thickness of up to200 μm, generally from 20 to 100 μm, preferably 20 to 50 μm. Dependingon the circumstances, border thicknesses greater or less than this mayalso be suitable.

According to the invention, the cut (trimmed) border areas are chopped,granulated if necessary, mixed with polymer B so that it may be reusedin the film as recycled material. The method according to the inventionensures that propylene polymer A in the finished film has undergone theextrusion process not more than three times, preferably only twice,first as edge strip material and then as an admixture to the actual rawmaterial for the film. A third extrusion step may be added if the cutedge strip material is regranulated before mixing with polymer B. Sincethe edge strip of the film is continuously run using exclusively virginpolymer in the manufacturing process, it is not possible to produce anymaterial that has passed through an extrusion process multiple times,that is to say more than two or three times. Surprisingly, neither theelectrical nor any other properties of the film are affected negativelyby the fraction of polymer that has been recycled once.

The film that is manufactured according this inventive method lends istherefore ideally suitable for use as a dielectric in capacitors. Ifnecessary, the film may be metallised beforehand using methods knownfrom the related art. It has been found that the fractions of recycledmaterials impair the performance characteristics of the capacitors onlyto a very limited degree, if at all. It is thus possible to achievesignificant cost advantages without loss of quality.

The following measuring methods were used to characterize the rawmaterials and films:

Melt Flow Index:

The melt flow index was measured under a load of 21.6 N and at 230° C.in accordance with the specifications of DIN 53 735.

Melting Point:

DSC measurement, maximum on the melting curve, heating rate 20° C./min.

E Modulus

The E modulus will be determined at least 10 days after production inaccordance with EN ISO 521-1 on a specimen having a size of 15*100 mm².

Shrinkage:

Longitudinal and transverse shrinkage values are relative to the lineardimension of the film expansion in each direction (lengthwise L₀ andtransverse Q₀) before the shrinking process. The lengthwise direction isthe direction of the machine, and the transverse direction iscorrespondingly defined as the direction perpendicular to the directionof the machine. The specimen of 10*10 cm² will be shrunk in a convectionoven at the respective temperature (from 100 to 140° C.) for a period of15 min. The remaining linear dimensions (L₁ and Q₁) of the specimen willbe determined again for the lengthwise and transverse directions. Thedifference between the determined linear dimensions and the originaldimensions L₀ and Q₀ is then expressed as shrinkage in a percentage ofthe original length times 100.

${L\; \overset{¨}{a}{ngsschrumpf}\mspace{14mu} {L_{s}\lbrack\%\rbrack}} = {\frac{L_{0} - L_{1}}{L_{0}}*{100\lbrack\%\rbrack}}$${{Querschrumpf}\mspace{14mu} {Q_{s}\lbrack\%\rbrack}} = {\frac{Q_{0} - Q_{1}}{Q_{0}}*{100\lbrack\%\rbrack}}$

This method for determining lengthwise and transverse shrinkagecorresponds to DIN 40634.

Dielectric Loss Factor:

The dielectric loss factor (tan α) is calculated according to VDE 0303,Part 4. Both sides of the film specimens are coated with aluminiumvapour in a vacuum coating plant before the measurement. The dimensionsof the measurement area F (=coated area) vary according to the filmthickness d:

for a film thickness d≦10 μm, an area of 1 cm²

for a film thickness d>10 μm, an area of 5 cm²

A double determination is carried out on each specimen to be tested, andthe average is calculated therefrom. The specimens are placed in adrying cabinet. The lower electrode plate is made of brass. The upperelectrode is cylindrical and is also made of brass. The test voltage is1V. One measurement is taken at each of three frequencies, 0.1 KHz, 1KHz and 10 KHz.

Residual Ash Content:

In order to measure the residual ash content, the fraction ofnon-combustible mineral filler substances is determined quantitatively.The residual ash content (annealing loss) is calculated from theoriginal weight of the specimen and the ash content. The measurementresult is indicated in ppm. A representative random sample of about 1 kgis remove from the material to be tested (granulate, regenerate, etc.).The material must be clean and completely dry; it may be necessary topre-dry the specimen in a convection warming cupboard at about 80° C.Three empty porcelain crucibles are annealed in the crucible furnace forat least 1 h at a temperature of 650° C., and after cooling to roomtemperature in the desiccator are weighed with an accuracy of 0.1 mg.Annealing is repeated until a constant weight is achieved between twoconsecutive weighings. Then, 50 g (+/−0.1 g) material is weighed intoeach crucible, which are placed in the muffle kiln, which has beenpreheated to 650° C. The temperature in the kiln is now raised to 1,000°C. and kept constant at this temperature for at least 1 h. After thecrucibles have been cooled in the desiccator, they are weighed againwith an accuracy of 0.1 mg. The ash content is expressed with themeasurement unit ppm (parts per million)=mg/m³. All three crucibles areevaluated according to the following formula, and the two with valuesclosest to one another are combined to yield an average:

ppm=Final weight (g)/Initial weight (g)×1,000,000

Chlorine Content:

The chlorine content in polyolefins is measured quantitatively by X-rayFluorescence Spectroscopy (XFS) in accordance with DIN 51 001, Part 1. Atablet of made from compacted granulate/powder, and this is measuredagainst a calibration curve using XFS. The calibration curve wascompiled on the basis of 10 calibration specimens in which the chlorinecontent was determined in an unrelated method (wet process).

Determination of Molecular Weight:

In order to determine the average molecular weight Mw, three detectorgel permeation chromatography is used. The substance is dissolved in aneluent such as THF and injected onto a separation column. The separationcolumn is 90 cm long and filled with a porous carrier material with apore size of 5 μm. Detection is carried out using UV absorptionspectroscopy at various wavelengths, also on the basis of the refractiveindex and light scattering capability of the fractions. Calibration isperformed via a standard composition having known molecular weight.Molecular weights are able to be assigned by comparing the UV absorptionof the standard substance with the absorption of the specimen (DIN 55672 Part 1).

The invention will now be explained in greater detail with reference toexemplary embodiments:

EXAMPLE 1

A transparent film having thickness of 6 μm and an untrimmed width of4940 mm was produced by extrusion and subsequent progressive orientationin the longitudinal and transverse directions. The film thus producedconsisted of a single layer. At the start of production, the adjacentmolten masses “Trimming strip-Film-Trimming strip” were drawn out of thesame raw material. For common extrusion and arrangement of the separatemelt flows, the adapter equipment was used, and had been rotated through90° with respect to the usual arrangement for multilayer coextrusion

B-Original Polymer for Film:

-   ˜100% by weight highly isotactic polypropylene manufactured by    Borealis (brand name HB 300 BF) with a melting point of 165° C. and    a melt flow index of 3.5 g/10 min at 230° C. and 2.16 N, having a    residual ash content of about 20 ppm and a chlorine content of <1    ppm-   0.45% by weight Irganox 1010 phenolic stabiliser-   0.0075% by weight Ca stearate as neutralising agent

A-Trim Strip Polymer:

-   ˜100% by weight highly isotactic polypropylene manufactured by    Borealis (brand name HB 300 BF) with a melting point of 165° C. and    a melt flow index of 3.5 g/10 min at 230° C. and 2.16 N, having a    residual ash content of about 20 ppm and a chlorine content of <1    ppm-   0.45% by weight Irganox 1010 phenolic stabiliser-   0.0075% by weight Ca stearate as neutralising agent

After startup, a 10 cm wide trimming strip was separated on both sidesin the outfeed area and before the film was wound up, which strip wasthen reduced in a chopper. This chopped film material was thentransported via conveyor means to the extruder together with raw filmmaterial B, with which it was mixed and melted together with theoriginal raw material. The border area was still running continuouslywith virgin original raw material.

The production conditions in the various process steps were:

Extrusion: Temperatures 250° C. Temperature of drawing roller:  97° C.Lengthwise stretching: Lengthwise stretching temperature 150° C.Lengthwise stretching ratio: 5.5 Transverse stretching: Temperature:160° C. Transverse stretching ratio: 9.5 Annealing: Temperature: 140° C.Convergence: 15%

The transverse stretching ratio is an actual value. This actual value iscalculated from the final film width less twice the trim strip width,divided by the width of the longitudinally stretched film, which is alsoreduced by twice the trim strip width.

In this way, a film was produced that contained approximately 22% byweight of raw material that had been recycled once

EXAMPLES 2a TO 2c

Compared with example 1, the chopped film material was treated byone-time melting and cooling to produce a regranulate in a separateprocessing step. This regranulate was then processed together with filmraw material B in similar manner. In this way, more films were producedcontaining 5%, 10%, 30% raw material that had been recycled once.

Comparison Example 1

Compared with example 1, the border area was not run with a separatemolten mass flow, the film and border area were drawn from one extruder.As was described in example 1, the border area was trimmed, chopped, andreused in the production of the film. In this way, a film was producedcontaining approximately 22% of raw material that had been recycledmultiple times.

Comparison Example 2

Compared with example 1, the border area was not run with a separatemolten mass flow, the film and border area were drawn from one extruder.The border area was trimmed and disposed of as waste, that is to say thefilm was produced using only original raw material and contained norecycled raw material regardless of the number of times it had beenrecycled.

EXAMPLE 3

A film was produced as described in example 1. Unlike example 1, athree-layer film was co-extruded having a cover layer on both surfacesof the base layer. The base layer corresponded to the film of example 1.Both additional cover layers were constructed from 100% by weightpropylene polymer B as described in example 1. The thickness of the baselayer was about 5 μm. The thickness of each cover layer was about. 0.5μm, so that the total thickness of the film as in example 1 was 6 μm.The rest of the composition and the process conditions were unchangedfrom example 1. In this way, a three-layer film was produced containingapproximately 26% by weight of polymer that had been recycled once inthe base layer (corresponding to 22% by weight relative to the film as awhole).

EXAMPLE 4

A film was produced as described in example 2b. Unlike example 2b, athree-layer film was co-extruded comprising a cover layer on bothsurfaces of the base layer. The base layer corresponded to the film ofexample 2b. Both additional cover layers were constructed from 100% byweight propylene polymer B as described in example 2b. The thickness ofthe base layer was about 5 μm. The thickness of each cover layer wasabout. 0.5 μm, so that the total thickness of the film as in example 2bwas 6 μm. The rest of the composition and the process conditions wereunchanged from example 2b. In this way, a three-layer film was producedcontaining approximately 12% by weight of polymer that had been recycledonce in the base layer (corresponding to 10% by weight relative to thefilm as a whole).

Breakdown voltage E modulus AC/DC MD/TD Shrinkage Flaws as numberExample [KV/mm] [N/mm2] MD/TD [%] per sq.m. at 300 V 1 419/813 2820/47003.0/0.60 0 2a 410/795 2825/4710 3.0/0.62 0 2b 425/780 2798/4680 3.2/0.650 2c 428/755 2752/4580 3.2/0.65 1 VB1 380/650 2500/4300 3.4/0.66 5 VB2420/815 2910/4850 3.1/0.62 0 3 420/813 2870/4750 3.0/0.60 0 4 418/8052875/4720 3.2/0.60 0

1.-19. (canceled)
 20. A biaxially oriented polypropylene film comprisingat least one layer, wherein the film is constructed from virginpropylene polymers and contains 0.5 to 40% by weight of at least onepolypropylene polymer that has been recycled once and no polymer thathas been recycled multiple times.
 21. The film as recited in claim 20,wherein the film comprises at least one cover layer that includes98-100% by weight of a virgin propylene polymer.
 22. The film as recitedin claim 20, wherein the film includes a cover layer on both sidesthereof, each of which includes 98-100% by weight of a virgin propylenepolymer.
 23. The film as recited in claim 20, wherein the film ismetallised on one surface.
 24. A process to manufacture a capacitorwhich comprises utilizing the film as claimed in claim
 20. 25. The filmas claimed in claim 20, wherein the film is a dielectric film.
 26. Thefilm as claimed in claim 20, wherein the film is an electroinsulatingfilm.
 27. A capacitor which comprises the dielectric film as claim 25.28. A biaxially oriented polypropylene film for use as a dielectric filmor electroinsulating film comprising at least one layer, wherein thefilm is constructed from virgin propylene polymers and contains 0.5 to40% by weight of at least one polypropylene polymer that has beenrecycled once and no polymer that has been recycled multiple times.